Head Coach Tim Bart

HSSTM’s Byron Beers sat down with Tim Bart to discuss his coaching career at Bartlesville, his ability to turn programs around and this year’s Bruin team. HSSTM: What will it take for Bartlesville to get back to the state tournament? Bart: I think we have to stay healthy and also be pretty lucky, especially after losing seven seniors from last year’s team. We have some inexperienced players this year and, now more so than anytime in my career, injuries have taken a toll. We would have to be very fortunate to get back this year. Right now, we just try to get better every day in practice and we’ve been able to do that. HSSTM: This is your eighth year at Bartlesville and you’ve had other opportunities to go elsewhere, even back to the collegiate level, so why have you remained in Bartlesville? Bart: Bartlesville is a very unique town. I would say the biggest reason is that my son, Jackson, is 12 years old and I want to raise him in this community. I value the time I spend with him and my wife. I get the opportunities to see him play at his games, and that is very important to me as a father. I’ve had enough of the college experience that I understand the dedication and time commitment that it takes with the road trips and the whole recruiting process. I feel like in the whole scope of jobs in the state that I have the best job in the state here at Bartlesville. We have top-notch facilities, and I have an administration that cares about winning and one that supports me. This is a great community that really supports its basketball. HSSTM: What is the No. 1 thing that you want to teach your players outside the game of basketball? Bart: We try to teach them the true meaning of athletics and what their place in society, in the community and in school is. We want them to learn how to work together for one common goal and how to work as a team. Nothing pleases me more than to see them come back after graduation and see how they’ve grown into quality people. HSSTM: You’ve made four appearances to the state tournament over the past seven years. Has not bringing home the gold ball been a disappointment to you on a personal level? Bart: Winning a state championship is not the ultimate goal in my life. I’m not going to let that define me as a coach. If I never win one, I’m not going to feel like I’ve never achieved everything that I’ve set out to do. I’ve learned over the last few years to just enjoy the ride. I truly enjoy the experiences that I have with the kids more than anything. Early in my coaching career that was always one of the team goals, but now days we just talk about getting better each and every day. I think that’s why we’ve had all of this success at Bartlesville is because I’ve readjusted what my goals as a coach. HSSTM: You have been known to turn around programs that have hit rock bottom, such as Moore, Tulsa Rogers and even Bartlesville. In what ways are you able to consistently turn a program into a winner? Bart: I kind of got that label by the jobs I had and I applied for those positions because it was the only opportunity that I had at that time. I’ve been fortunate that with some of them I’ve had kids come along that developed and improved. With each one of those jobs, I tried to get kids to believe in themselves. I went in and painted locker rooms, bought nice equipment and made them think that they were big time. I really tried to work on their heads and tell them to be positive and get them to think they are just as good as anybody.